HYDERABAD, Oct 11: Protesting paramedics at the Civil Hospital Hyderabad on Saturday urged the relevant authorities to deploy Rangers at the health care facility as according to them the hospital administration was unable to ensure their protection.

The paramedics boycotted work in the out-patients department and other wards for two hours in protest against the manhandling of two of their colleagues at the hands of a local activist of the Pakistan People’s Party. They had also observed a complete strike on Friday against the incident.

The PPP activist, Amir Pathan, has been reportedly occupying a number of private rooms for the past six months and has also been accused of misbehaving with the paramedics and doctors at the health facility. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment some orthopaedic problem and despite having recovered from his illness, he was adamantly occupying some rooms of the hospital with his supporters who also claimed to be the activists of the PPP.

The hospital administration had made several attempts to get the rooms vacated but to no avail. However, the situation got ugly on Oct 9 when these political activists roughed up a sweeper, Anwar Masih, and a clerk, Saleem Khaskheli, over some petty issues in different incidents.

According to the general secretary of the Civil Hospital chapter of the Sindh Paramedical Staff Welfare Association (SPSWA), Lateef Otho, a general body meeting was also held in the OPD, which was addressed by Akhtar Abbasi, Lalo Tanboli, Ashok Desambar, and others. He said that the meeting had called for the deployment of Rangers in the hospital and for measures to get the rooms vacated.

Mr Otho said that a delegation of the SPSWA led by its president Nazar Mohammad Rajpar and General Secretary Akhlaq Ahmed Khan called on Sindh Health Minister Saghir Ahmed in Karachi on Saturday and briefed him about the prevailing situation in the hospital. He said that the delegation also demanded deployment of Rangers in the hospital to protect the paramedics.

He said that the health minister had contacted relevant authorities of the Rangers and the Sindh home secretary in this regard.

The minister, he said, also spoke to the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Jabbar Shaikh, and asked him to get a separate FIR lodged if the rooms were still in the illegal possession of some hoodlums.

Mr Otho said that the police didn’t arrest any of the culprits who had also manhandled Anwar Masih. He said that the police was avoiding any action against the culprit who had been identified by Anwar Masih.

Dr Jabbar Shaikh was unavailable for his comment on the recent developments.

The hospital’s administration had converted rooms in the upper storey into burns unit because the existing burns ward building had become dangerous and was posing threat to the staff, patients and attendants. However, eight rooms on the ground floor continued to serve as private rooms. But four of them were declared as isolation ward to take care of cases like dengue.

The remaining rooms have been illegally occupied by political activists, who according to sources in the hospital, are not sick or need any treatment.

“One of them was admitted several months back but after having recovered and discharged he was supposed to clear his payments but he didn’t do it”, said a source.

Similarly, Amir Pathan, who has been relieved of his party’s post continue to take undue advantage of his party affiliation to occupy private rooms.